WHITE HOUSE: Here Are All The Terrible Things That Will Happen If The Sequester Hits

The White House doubled down on its campaign to derail
sequestration Friday, releasing a fact sheet that details the
"most damaging effects" of the across-the-board spending cuts,
which are scheduled to take effect March 1 unless Congress takes
action.

Here are some of the most alarming ramifications:

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies would see a
reduction in capacity equivalent to more than 1,000 federal
agents

The Department of Justice would have to furlough hundreds
of federal prosecutors, resulting in approximately 1,000 fewer
criminal cases prosecuted per year

Emergency unemployment benefits would be cut by as much
as 9.4 percent

Federal funding would be eliminated for more than 2,700
schools serving low-income families and for more
than 7,200 special education teachers and aides

70,000 children would be kicked out of Head Start as a result
of cuts to early childhood education

Up to 373,000 seriously mentally ill adults and seriously
emotionally disturbed children could go untreated

The FDA would conduct up to 2,100 fewer food inspections
and the USDA’s food inspection program may have to
furlough all employees for two weeks

Loan guarantees to small businesses would be reduced by
up to $540 million

Read the full fact sheet below:

FACT SHEET: EXAMPLES OF HOW THE SEQUESTER WOULD IMPACT
MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES, JOBS AND ECONOMIC
SECURITY

Unless Congress acts by March 1st, a series of
automatic cuts—called a sequester—that threaten thousands of jobs
and the economic security of the middle class will take
effect. There is no question that we need to cut the
deficit, but the President believes it should be done in a
balanced way that protects investments that the middle class
relies on. Already, the President has worked with Congress
to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion, but there’s
more to do. The President believes we can not only avoid
the harmful effects of a sequester but also reduce the deficit by
$4 trillion total by cutting even more wasteful spending and
eliminating tax loopholes for the wealthy.

Unfortunately, many Republicans
in Congress refuse to ask the wealthy to pay a little more by
closing tax loopholes so that we can protect investments that are
helping grow our economy and keep our country safe. Our
economy is poised to take off but we cannot afford a
self-inflicted wound from Washington. We cannot simply cut
our way to prosperity, and if Republicans continue to insist on
an unreasonable cuts-only approach, the middle class risks paying
the price. The most damaging effects of a sequester on the
middle class are:

Cuts to education: Our ability to teach
our kids the skills they’ll need for the jobs of the future
would be put at risk. 70,000 young children would be kicked off
Head Start, 10,000 teacher jobs would be put at risk, and
funding for up to 7,200 special education teachers, aides, and
staff could be cut.

Cuts to small business: Small businesses
create two-thirds of all new jobs in America and instead of
helping small businesses expand and hire, the automatic cuts
triggered by a sequester would reduce loan guarantees to small
businesses by up to $540 million.

Cuts to food safety: Outbreaks of
foodborne illness are a serious threat to families and public
health. If a sequester takes effect, up to 2,100 fewer
food inspections could occur, putting families at risk and
costing billions in lost food production.

Cuts to research and innovation: In order
to compete for the jobs of the future and to ensure that the
next breakthroughs to find cures for critical diseases are
developed right here in America, we need to continue to lead
the world in research and innovation. Most Americans with
chronic diseases don’t have a day to lose, but under a
sequester progress towards cures would be delayed and several
thousand researchers could lose their jobs. Up to 12,000
scientists and students would also be impacted.

Cuts to mental health: If a sequester
takes effect, up to 373,000 seriously mentally ill adults and
seriously emotionally disturbed children could go untreated.
This would likely lead to increased hospitalizations,
involvement in the criminal justice system, and homelessness
for these individuals.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) now calculates that
sequestration will require an annual reduction of roughly 5
percent for nondefense programs and roughly 8 percent for defense
programs. However, given that these cuts must be achieved
over only seven months instead of 12, the effective percentage
reductions will be approximately 9 percent for nondefense
programs and 13 percent for defense programs. These large
and arbitrary cuts will have severe impacts across the
government.

More detailed explanations of these cuts as well as additional
areas that will be impacted include:

Security and
Safety

FBI and other law enforcement – The FBI
and other law enforcement entities would see a reduction in
capacity equivalent to more than 1,000 Federal agents.
This loss of agents would significantly impact our ability to
combat violent crime, pursue financial crimes, secure our
borders, and protect national security.

U.S. Attorneys – The Department of
Justice would need to furlough hundreds of Federal
prosecutors. As a result, approximately 1,000 fewer
criminal cases nationwide would be prosecuted, and some civil
litigation defending the financial interests of the United
States would not be pursued, potentially costing taxpayers
billions of dollars.

Emergency responders – FEMA would need to
eliminate funding for State and local grants that support
firefighter positions and State and local emergency management
personnel, hampering our ability to respond to natural
disasters like Hurricane Sandy and other emergencies.

Research and
Innovation

NIH research – The National Institutes of
Health (NIH) would be forced to delay or halt vital scientific
projects and make hundreds of fewer research awards.
Since each research award supports up to seven research
positions, several thousand personnel could lose their
jobs. Many projects would be difficult to pursue at
reduced levels and would need to be cancelled, putting prior
year investments at risk. These cuts would delay progress
on the prevention of debilitating chronic conditions that are
costly to society and delay development of more effective
treatments for common and rare diseases affecting millions of
Americans.

NSF research – The National Science
Foundation (NSF) would issue nearly 1,000 fewer research grants
and awards, impacting an estimated 12,000 scientists and
students and curtailing critical scientific research.

New drug approvals – The FDA’s Center for
Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) would face delays in
translating new science and technology into regulatory policy
and decision-making, resulting in delays in new drug
approvals. The FDA would likely also need to reduce
operational support for meeting review performance goals, such
as the recently negotiated user fee goals on new innovative
prescription drugs and medical devices.

Economic
Growth

Small business assistance – Small
Business Administration(SBA) loan
guarantees would be cut by up to $540 million, constraining
financing needed by small businesses to maintain and expand
their operations and create jobs.

Economic development – The Economic
Development Administration’s (EDA) ability to leverage private
sector resources to support projects that spur local job
creation would be restricted, likely resulting in more than
1,000 fewer jobs created than expected and leaving more than
$47 million in private sector investment untapped.

International trade – The International
Trade Administration (ITA) would be forced to reduce its
support for America’s exporters, trimming assistance to U.S.
businesses looking to increase their exports and expand
operations into foreign markets. In addition, ITA would
not be able to place staff in critical international growth
markets, where there is a clear business opportunity for many
American businesses to increase their sales and create jobs at
home. These staff would have been part of a key program working
to promote and facilitate global investment in the U.S.,
supporting thousands of new jobs through Foreign Direct
Investment.

Government
Services

Food safety – The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) could conduct 2,100 fewer inspections at
domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture food products
while USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) may have
to furlough all employees for approximately two weeks. These
reductions could increase the number and severity of safety
incidents, and the public could suffer more foodborne illness,
such as the recent salmonella in peanut butter outbreak and the
E. coli illnesses linked to organic spinach, as well as cost
the food and agriculture sector millions of dollars in lost
production volume.

IRS customer service and tax compliance
– The cuts to operating expenses and expected
furloughs at the IRS would result in the inability of millions
of taxpayers to get answers from IRS call centers and taxpayer
assistance centers and would significantly delay IRS responses
to taxpayer letters. The IRS would be forced to complete
fewer tax return reviews and would experience reduced capacity
to detect and prevent fraud, resulting in an inability to
collect and protect billions of dollars in revenue
annually. Cuts to the IRS would ultimately cost taxpayers
and increase the deficit through lost revenue from recoveries
and additional fraud and abuse.

Native American programs - Tribes would
lose almost $130 million in funding from the Department of the
Interior. Reductions would be necessary in many areas
including human services, law enforcement, schools, economic
development and natural resources.

Workplace safety – The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) could have to pull its
inspectors off the job for some period of time. This would mean
roughly 1,200 fewer inspections of the Nation’s most dangerous
workplaces, which would leave workers unprotected and could
lead to an increase in worker fatality and injury
rates.

Education

Title I education funds – Title I
education funds would be eliminated for more than 2,700
schools, cutting support for nearly 1.2 million disadvantaged
students. This funding reduction would put the jobs of
approximately 10,000 teachers and aides at risk. Students
would lose access to individual instruction, afterschool
programs, and other interventions that help close achievement
gaps.

Special education (IDEA) – Cuts to
special education funding would eliminate Federal support for
more than 7,200 teachers, aides, and other staff who provide
essential instruction and support to preschool and school-aged
students with disabilities.

Head Start – Head Start and Early Head
Start services would be eliminated for approximately 70,000
children, reducing access to critical early education.
Community and faith based organizations, small businesses,
local governments, and school systems would have to lay off
over 14,000 teachers, teacher assistants, and other staff.

Economic
Security

Social Security applicant and beneficiary services
– The Social Security Administration (SSA) would
be forced to curtail service to the public and reduce program
oversight efforts designed to make sure benefits are paid
accurately and to the right people. Potential effects on
SSA operations could include a reduction in service hours to
the public, the closure of some offices, and a substantial
growth in the backlog of Social Security disability claims.

Senior meals – Federally-assisted
programs like Meals on Wheels would be able to serve 4 million
fewer meals to seniors. These meals contribute to the
overall health and well-being of participating seniors,
including those with chronic illnesses that are affected by
diet, such as diabetes and heart disease, and frail seniors who
are homebound. The meals can account for 50 percent or
more of daily food for the majority of home‑delivered
participants.

Nutrition assistance for women, infants and children
– Approximately 600,000 women and children would
be dropped from the Department of Agriculture’s Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) from March through September. At least 1,600 State
and local jobs could be lost as a result.

Rental assistance – The Department of
Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Housing Choice Voucher
program, which provides rental assistance to very low-income
families, would face a significant reduction in funding, which
would place about 125,000 families at immediate risk of losing
their permanent housing.

Emergency unemployment compensation
– People receiving Emergency Unemployment
Compensation benefits would see their benefits cut by as much
as 9.4 percent. Affected long-term unemployed
individuals would lose an average of more than $400 in benefits
that they and their families count on while they search for
another job. Smaller unemployment checks will also have a
negative impact on the economy as a whole. Economists
have estimated that every dollar in unemployment benefits
generates $2 in economic activity.

Homelessness programs – More than 100,000
formerly homeless people, including veterans, would be removed
from their current housing and emergency shelter programs,
putting them at risk of returning to the streets.

Public
Health

Mental health and substance abuse services
– Cuts to the Mental Health Block Grant program
would result in over 373,000 seriously mentally ill adults and
seriously emotionally disturbed children not receiving needed
mental health services. This cut would likely lead to increased
hospitalizations, involvement in the criminal justice system,
and homelessness for these individuals. In addition,
close to 8,900 homeless persons with serious mental illness
would not get the vital outreach, treatment, housing, and
support they need through the Projects for Assistance in
Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program.

AIDS and HIV treatment and prevention
– Cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program could
result in 7,400 fewer patients having access to life saving HIV
medications. And approximately 424,000 fewer HIV tests
could be conducted by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) State
grantees, which could result in increased future HIV
transmissions, deaths from HIV, and costs in health
care.

Tribal services – The Indian Health
Service and Tribal hospitals and clinics would be forced to
provide 3,000 fewer inpatient admissions and 804,000 fewer
outpatient visits, undermining needed health care in Tribal
communities.